Author: Gabrielle J. Appleby

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

At its inception, the Australian federation was informed by a rich set of ideas about the nature of federalism, and a strong acceptance of both its necessity and its benefits. Today, over one hundred years later, this necessity and those benefits are under question - by Australian politicians, business leaders, professionals, academics and, most importantly, the Australian people. In this chapter, we maintain that federalism necessarily has a future in Australia, but it will only have an effective future if it is reformed and the reform is both well-informed and coherently designed. We argue that that only by paying attention to federalism's benefits - and not just its deficits and problems - can we expect reform proposals to have the coherence and political attractiveness needed for them to be implemented in practically effective ways. By bringing together eminent lawyers, economists and political scientists to analyse and evaluate the Australian federal system in comparative perspective, this book seeks to contribute to the explanation and development of the theory and principles underpinning of the Australian federal system, as well as the practical realities in which it operates, and in this way to help build the impetus for sensible, measured, coherent and effective reform.